Long term complications of pneumonia
These include restrictive lung disease, Obstructive lung disease such as
asthma, Bronchiectasis, abnormal lung function, chronic bronchitis or
multiple/combination of more than one of these.
In a systematic review by Edmond et al5 assessing the
long term sequelae from childhood pneumonia the found that the overall
risk of long term major respiratory sequelae from childhood pneumonia in
non-hospitalised children was up to 5.5%. The risk of at least one
complication was up to three times higher in hospitalised compared to
non-hospitalised children. For the hospitalised with no pathogen
isolated they still had a 20% increase in risk for having a sequalae.
The children hospitalised with adenovirus pneumonia had highest risk for
respiratory sequelae. Restrictive lung disease was the most common type
of sequela they observed. Bronchiectasis, either alone or in combination
with restrictive lung disease was found only in those who had been
hospitalised for pneumonia. Obstructive lung disease was more in those
with a history of severe adenovirus pneumonia. Lung function tests
suggesting airway obstruction reported in up to one-third of children
1–7 years after their pneumonia and there were 78% of the
7–8-year-old children who had a history of chlamydial pneumonia in
early infancy.